Metal Welding - Types and Processes

Welding. So you think it's as simple as grabbing the gun and pulling the trigger, eh?
Tell me this then - what types of welding are there? Not completely sure? Read on...
Arc Welding Arc welding is a process utilizing the concentrated heat of an electric
arc to join metal by fusion of the parent metal and the addition of metal to joint usually
provided by a consumable electrode. Either direct or alternating current may be used for
the arc, depending upon the material to be welded and the electrode used.
Electroslag Welding Electroslag Welding (ESW) deposits the weld metal into the
weld cavity between the two plates to be joined. This space is enclosed by water cooled
copper dams or shoes to prevent molten slag from running off. The weld metal is
produced from a filler wire that forms an initial arc with the workpiece until a sufficient
pool of liquid metal is formed to use the electrical resistance of the molten slag.
This process requires special equipment used primarily for horizontal welds of very large
plates up to 36 inches or more by welding them in one pass as in large machinery and
nuclear reactor vessels.
There are also variations of ESW where shielding is provided by an appropriate gas and a
continuous arc is used to provide weld metal. These are termed Electrogas Welding or
EGW machines.
Fluxed-Core Arc-Welding Fluxed-Core Arc-Welding (FCAW) uses a tubular
electrode filled with flux that is much less brittle than the coatings on SMAW electrodes
while preserving most of its potential alloying benefits.
The emissive fluxes used shield the weld arc from surrounding air, or shielding gases are
used and nonemissive fluxes are employed. The higher weld-metal deposition rate of
FCAW over GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) has led to its popularity in joining
relatively heavy sections of 1" or thicker.
Another major advantage of FCAW is the ease with which specific weld-metal alloy
chemistries can be developed. The process is also easily automated, especially with the
new robotic systems.
Gas Metal-Arc Welding Gas Metal-Arc Welding (GMAW), also called Metal Inert
Gas (MIG) welding, shields the weld zone with an external gas such as argon, helium,
carbon dioxide, or gas mixtures. Deoxidizers present in the electrode can completely
prevent oxidation in the weld puddle, making multiple weld layers possible at the joint.
GMAW is a relatively simple, versatile, and economical welding apparatus to use. This is
due to the factor of 2 welding productivity over SMAW processes. In addition, the
temperatures involved in GMAW are relatively low and are therefore suitable for thin
sheet and sections less than inch.

GMAW may be easily automated, and lends itself readily to robotic methods. It has
virtually replaced SMAW in present-day welding operations in manufacturing plants.
Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding (GTAW), also known as
Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG welding, uses tungsten electrodes as one pole of the arc to
generate the heat required. The gas is usually argon, helium, or a mixture of the two. A
filler wire provides the molten material if necessary.
The GTAW process is especially suited to thin materials producing welds of excellent
quality and surface finish. Filler wire is usually selected to be similar in composition to
the materials being welded.
Atomic Hydrogen Welding (AHW) is similar and uses an arc between two tungsten or
carbon electrodes in a shielding atmosphere of hydrogen. Therefore, the work piece is not
part of the electrical circuit.
Plasma Arc Welding Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) uses electrodes and ionized gases
to generate an extremely hot plasma jet aimed at the weld area. The higher energy
concentration is useful for deeper and narrower welds and increased welding speed.
Shielded-Metal Arc Welding Shielded-Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is one of the
oldest, simplest, and most versatile arc welding processes. The arc is generated by
touching the tip of a coated electrode to the workpiece and withdrawing it quickly to an
appropriate distance to maintain the arc. The heat generated melts a portion of the
electrode tip, its coating, and the base metal in the immediate area. The weld forms out of
the alloy of these materials as they solidify in the weld area. Slag formed to protect the
weld against forming oxides, nitrides, and inclusions must be removed after each pass to
ensure a good weld.
The SMAW process has the advantage of being relatively simple, only requiring a power
supply, power cables, and electrode holder. It is commonly used in construction,
shipbuilding, and pipeline work, especially in remote locations.
Submerged Arc Welding Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) shields the weld arc using
a granular flux fed into the weld zone forming a thick layer that completely covers the
molten zone and prevents spatter and sparks. It also acts as a thermal insulator, permitting
deeper heat penetration.
The process is obviously limited to welding in a horizontal position and is widely used
for relatively high speed sheet or plate steel welding in either automatic or semiautomatic
configurations. The flux can be recovered, treated, and reused.
Submerged Arc Welding provides very high welding productivity....4-10 times as much
as the Shielded Metal Arc Welding process.

MIG Welding MIG (Metal Inert Gas) or as it even is called GMAW (Gas Metal Arc
Welding) uses an aluminium alloy wire as a combined electrode and filler material. The
filler metal is added continuously and welding without filler-material is therefore not
possible. Since all welding parameters are controlled by the welding machine, the process
is also called semi-automatic welding.
The MIG-process uses a direct current power source, with the electrode positive (DC,
EP). By using a positive electrode, the oxide layer is efficiently removed from the
aluminium surface, which is essential for avoiding lack of fusion and oxide inclusions.
The metal is transferred from the filler wire to the weld bead by magnetic forces as small
droplets spray transfer. This gives a deep penetration capability to the process and makes
it possible to weld in all positions. It is important for the quality of the weld that the spray
transfer is obtained.
There are two different MIG-welding processes, conventional MIG and pulsed MIG:
1. Conventional MIG uses a constant voltage DC power source. Since the spray
transfer is limited to a certain range of arc current, the conventional MIG process
has a lower limit of arc current (or heat input). This also limits the application of
conventional MIG to weld material thicknesses above 4 mm. Below 6 mm it is
recommended that backing is used to control the weld bead.
2. Pulsed MIG uses a DC power source with superimposed periodic pulses of high
current. During the low current level the arc is maintained without metal transfer.
During the high current pulses the metal is transferred in the spray mode. In this
way pulsed MIG is possible to operate with lower average current and heat input
compared to conventional MIG. This makes it possible to weld thinner sections
and weld much more easily in difficult welding positions.
TIG Welding TIG-welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) or GTAW-welding (Gas Tungsten
Arc Welding) uses a permanent non-melting electrode made of tungsten. Filler metal is
added separately, which makes the process very flexible. It is also possible to weld
without filler material.
The most used power source for TIG-welding generates alternating current (AC). Direct
current can be used, but due to high heat generation on the tungsten electrode when DCEP (electrode positive) welding, that particular polarity is not feasible. In some cases DCEN (electrode negative) is used, however, this requires special attention before welding,
due to the arc's poor oxide cleaning action.
AC TIG-welding usually uses argon as a shielding gas. The process is a multi purpose
process, which offers the user great flexibility. By changing the diameter of the tungsten
electrode, welding may be performed with a wide range of heat input at different
thicknesses. AC TIG-welding is possible with thicknesses down to about 0,5 mm. For
larger thicknesses, > 5 mm, AC TIG-welding is less economical compared to MIGwelding due to lower welding speed.

DC TIG-welding with electrode negative is used for welding thicknesses above 4 mm.
The negative electrode gives a poor oxide cleaning compared to AC-TIG and MIG, and
special cleaning of joint surfaces is necessary. The process usually uses helium shielding
gas. This gives a better penetration in thicker sections. DC TIG-welding is applicable for
welding thicknesses in the range 0,3 - 12 mm. More and more popular is also pulsed DC
TIG-welding, which makes it possible to weld uniform welds with deeper penetration at
the same heat input. Pulse frequency is usually in the range 1 - 10 Hz.